Tearing strip can



Dec. 25, 1934. HILDEVBRANDT 1,985,290

TEARING STRIP CAN Filed March 18, 1932 INVENTOR M4R0L0 H/Lozamwvor I 11m.) ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25, 1934 'TEARING s'rmfoAN I Harold'Hildebrandt, Tacoma,- Wash.

Application March 18, 1932, Serial 52 19,711

provide :a tearing strip can that is less expensive,

yet which retains all the advantages of the usual form oftearing stripcan and has other :a'dvan- 10; tages in addition'thereto. i

More specifically stated, it is the object of this invention atozprovidea can'in which the "end or closure is hermetically sealed to the body bymeans of a double .seam, :an'd'wherein a tearing strip is located in theouter layer of thelmetal :of the seam and is removable to detachcthe.end or closure from the can body. Another object oi-the invention is.to provide a strip removing: device of novel form, which :is easilyapplied, easily used and which will remove the strip without danger ofthe strip being broken during the removing operation. v :Still anotherobject-of the invention is to'provide for removal of the tearingstrip'without 25. leaving any ragged .or sharp edges of metsu .ex-

posedtin such way :that'iniury mightresult to a person in.handlingttheican. Also to 'ieave the cover in condition for use as atemporary reclosure. t t t 7 .Another obj ect ofs'the invention resides*in the particular method of manufacturing this type of tearing stripcan. i

v:Other objects of :the invention reside in. the various details ofconstruction 'z-and in the com- 35, bination of. parts andLIHOdB'UfSzODEIQitiOIl; as will hereinafter besfullydescribed.

accomplishing these objects, I'have prothe key winding device to thedouble seam and to the tearing strip tongue.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing use of a strip 65 removing device of analternative type.

Referring more in detail to the drawing- 1 1 design-ates a sheet :metalor ti-n can of I the usual type, having its top end or closure .-2joined to the body by the usual double seam 3. The

closure, or end 2 has the 1131121 1 countersink forin '5 ing :thevertical wall iiwfitting down within the mouth of the lean body and it:has a peripheral flange portion 3b interfolde'd and fclinohedto'theican body flange 1a in; the double 'seam. Thisseam, 'in' its formation,is rlolledidown flat, andin 10 the presenti'cnstance has sufficientwidth that a substantial 'tearing strip may be incorporated therein; t

. "The outer :fold ':or layer of the metal :of ":the double seamdirectly connects the closure :3 to 15 the can-body, and formed .in thisouter iaver; in parallel relation and circumfierentially about the can,are lines ofsco-ringt -A defining the tearing strip;5;,-

"It is preferred that this line scoring bepdone 20 by tsuitablersooring,rolls fincorpotaated in $113 double seaming machine to :operate afterorrdur ing the seam forming operation; However, it :is to beundenstoodthat the strip scoring operation might be done :at any time'atter theseam was 2 completed and by various kinds of machines:

After the strip 5 has been set off about :thelcan by the scoring oftheadouble seam, a'ggouge oriother tool .is used-"to break out ;a short;:lengthf of the strip, to fonnacdetachedtongue ias-at-G for at 3tachment of a winding The provision. of this tongue does not in anywayaffect the intega rity of the :sealcof the double :seam iasits extentistooshontandit is outside "of, the main sealing jointOIJjOiIlbSPIZOVidBd: in the seam. 2' 35 'With the :strip'. s0';-formedandnthe tongue thus provided, it is :possibl-e'to remove the :stripto-des tach the can cover qfrom the body,=;by the usual winding ikey.Howevenas applied to the usual double seam, the tearing strip would bequite har 4,9 now'and might-'bebroken during its removal unlessasomecprecautionor special means was pro? vided to aid the winding key.Therefore, I have provided ca sstriprremoving' device asshownin Figs. 3and' i whichco-zaots with the'windingkey '45 in :such a manner as to prythe strip loose ascthe key windsin' the-strip. This device zalsoncausesthe strip, :as it is removed, to be woundevenly on theikey. t t .z' ,1Il'his device 'iiiuitspreterred'iorm-consiststoipa so yieldable metalplate folded or bent back on itself as a sort of U -shaped slide havingthe inner and outer wing portions 10 and 11. The part 10 is provided atits upper and lower longitudinal edges with inturned flanges 12 and 13adapted,

respectively, when the part 10 is placed flatly against the double seam,to overlie and underlie the seam as a means of guiding the slide in itstravel along the seam. At the base of the U- shaped slide is an extendedprong 15, substantially the width of the tearing strip and of sufficientlength that it may be extended beneath the free end 6 of the strip 5 andin the direction of the strip, to advance between the outer and nextadjacent layers of the double seam, as seen in Fig. 4. The outer part 11of the slide has inturned flanges 16--16 at its upper and lower edges toserve as guiding or retaining means for the coils of the tearing stripas it is wound onto the key.

As seen in Fig. 3, the shank 17a of the winding key 1'7 is extendedwithin the base loop of the U-shaped slide and it has a slot 18 adaptedto register with a slot or opening 19 in the base of the slide. When theslide is applied to the double seam, as in Figs. 3 and 4, the tongue 6of the tearing strip'may then be extended through the registering slots19 and 18. Then by rotation of the winding key, the tearing strip willbe wound onto the key and incident to this, the slide will be advancedin such way as to cause the prong 15 to pry the tearing strip outwardlyfrom between the lines of scoring as an aid to its removal by thewinding key. As the strip is wound on the key, the flanges 16 of theplate 11 keep the windings even and one upon the other, thus to avoidany lateral strain on the strip that would be apt to break it. As thewindings pile up on the key, the key moves toward the open end of theslide and the opposite side wings 10 and 11 will be forced apart by thegradually increasing size of the core of the strip, thus toautomatically take care of this condition.

In Fig. 5 I have shown an alternative means for removing the tearingstrip. This consists of a plate 20 with downwardly flanged guide fingers21 and 22 at its ends for overlying the double seam and with guides 23and-24 for engaging the outside of the seam. A prong 25 extends fromtheplate to advance beneath and pry out the tearing strip as the plateis advanced on the seam about the can. A handle portion 26 is providedon the plate to aid in its use. v

The main advantage in the provision of a tearing strip in the doubleseam, as above described,

resides in the fact that on removal of the strip,

the can body is not shortened orthe cover displaced. Also, no extrametal or part is required for a'contents retaining means to preventspilling when the strip is removed. Furthermore, the body blank needs noadded metal for use as a tearing strip tongue and thus cost ofmanufacture is reduced because of this saving in material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1'. A can of the characterdescribed having a closure member at one end secured to the body in adouble seam; said seam having lines of scoring in the outer fold thereofsetting off a continuous tearing strip encircling the can.

2. A can of the character described having a closure member at one endsecured to the body in a double seam; said seam having lines of scoringin the outer fold thereof setting off a continuous tearing stripencircling the can, a

portion of the strip being broken loose to provide a tongue forapplication of a strip removing device.

3. A can of the character described having a countersunk closure fittedwithin the mouth of the body, and having a flange joined to the bodyflange in an interfolded seam; the outer layer of the folded seamdirectly joining the closure to the body flange, and having lines ofscoring therein setting off a continuous tearing strip about the canwith a portion of said strip broken loose and offset from the seamforattachment ofa strip removing means.

4. The combination with a can having an en- 'circl ingtearing stripformed with a tongue, of

a strip removing means comprising a slide provided with a prong foradvancing beneath the strip and a; winding key associated with the slideto which the tongue may be attached whereby winding of the strip thereonadvances the slide along the strip and causes the said prong to advancebeneath and break the said strip free from the can.

5. A strip removing means for tearing strip cans comprising a slidemounting a strip winding key; said slide being adapted to advance withthe key along the strip in the can wall as the tearing strip is woundfrom the can onto the key, and a prong extended from the slide foradvancement beneath the stripto aid in its removal by the key.

6. The combination with a can having a tearing strip set off in its endseam, of a strip removing means comprising a slide adapted to followabout the can on said'seam,,and having a prong adapted to advancebeneath the strip to break it loose from the seam, and a winding keymounted in the slide whereby the said slide will be advanced as thestrip is. wound onto the 7. A device as recited in claim 6 wherein theslide has guide flanges for engaging upper and lower edges of the canseam to guide the slide in its travel. v

8. A device as recited in claim 6 wherein the slide embodies meanswhereby the windingsof the strip onthekey are retained evenly one uponthe other.

9. The combination with a can having a closure member'attachedto'thebody' by a double seam and having a tearing strip encircling the can inthe outer layer of the seam, and formed with a free tongue, ofa stripremoving means comprising a slide. of U-shaped form disposed for travelabout thecan upon the seam and having spaced fiangesnon. one of theinner wing members for overlying opposite edges of the seam to guidethe'slidein itsltravel, a prong extending from the slide Ifo'radvancement beneath the tearing strip, as theslide is advanced, awinding'key revoluble within the base of the slide and having a slot forreceiving the strip tongue; the outer wing member of the slide havingmeans for guiding the winding of the strip on the key and. beingoutwardly yieldable to accommodate an increase in size of the strip coilon the key; said slide being advanced along the seam incident'to windingthe strip on the key.

- HAROLD HILDEBRANDT.

